Automobile lamp-shade.



T. SHAFFER.

AUTOMOBILE LAMP SHADE.

APPLICATION FILED 111 3.25, 1914.

Lmgggg Patented 52111.5,1915.

C? an;

'rnomas snerrnn, or s'r. Josnrri, nirssounr.

AUTOMOBILE LAMP-SHADE.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed April '25, 1914. Serial No. 834,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, THOMAS SHAFFER, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Joseph, in the county of Buchanan and State ofMissourhhave invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomobileLamp-Shades, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in that class of lamp shades thatare used for partially obscuring the light of an automobile lamp, theobjects of which are, to provide a' simple, substantial and durableshade of this character, which shall be extremely neat and unobtrusivein appearance; by the use-of which the driver of an automobile, or othervehicle, While in the drivers seat can instantly shade the lamps of hisvehicle to any extent he desires, for avoiding inconveniences andaccidents, caused to other persons and property, by the blinding lightof unshaded lamps.

Further objects are, to so construct a shade of this character, that theentire shade and all of its appurtenances, except the treadle operatedshade moving means shall be inclosed within the body of the lamp, andshall be of such form and material as will withstand the extreme heat towhich certain parts of the shade are subjected. Y

I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 isa longitudinal section on the v of fuel,(not shown,)- fed through burner 19.

line X X, seen in Fig. 2, looking toward the right. Fig. 2 is a frontview. Fig. 3 is a front view of one of the other various forms in whichthe lamp shade may be made.

Referring to Fig. 1, supporting bar 1 is secured to the inner surface oflamp body 2, of an automobile lamp. Said bar extends around and beneaththe upper portion of said body and is secured on the rear edge of thefixed shade section 3, which latter is supported in place thereunder, bystud a and rivets 5, and has flange 3". Said bar 1 extends forwardagainst the inner surface of said body 2 at, each of the two sides ofthe latter, and is secured thereon by rivets 5.

The lower ends of shade sections 6, 7, and 8, are pivotally mounted onstuds 9, secured in said forwardly extended portions of bar 1. Saidshade sections are all of such shape as conforms with theshape of body2, and with each other, and are underlapped beneath section 3 andbeneath each other in the order named. Sectionsfi, 7 and 8 have upwardlyprojecting fiangesG', 7', and 8 formed-respectively on their upperedges, and also have downwardly projecting flanges 6", 7 and 8"respectively formed on their front edges, for spacing and stopping saidsections. a The forward portion of cable 10 is passed around the frontedge of grooved pulley 11, and 1s securedto one point thereof, by cableclamp 12. Said pulley is secured to one of the end portions of shadesection 8 and is oscillatable therewith, on one of studs 9.

The ends of cable 10 are passed backward through apertures 10, formedthrough the back portion of lamp body 2, seen in Fig. 2, and thencethrough apertures 16, formed through the inclined portion of floor 16 ofan automobile. The ends of said cable are secured to treadle 13, whichhas pedal 13 formed on its upper end. Said treadle is secured on treadleshaft 14, at a point on said treadle that is midway between said cablefastenings. Said treadle shaft is rotatably mounted in treadle shaftbearings 15, (of which but one is shown,)-secured on said inclinedportion of floor 16. Said shaft has recover spring 17 Wound spirallythereon, one end. of said spring being secured to one of said bearings,while the other end of said spring is connected with said .treadle forrecovering the pedally operated movement thereof.

Light 18 burns in lamp body 2, by the use In operation, with the partsin the posi- 18 in the following manner :--Said operator, by the use ofone foot moves pedal 13 forward, toward the right, thereby pulling thelower portion of cable 10 toward "the left 5 which causes pulley 11 torotate clockwise on stud 9 and thereby rotate section 8 downward towardthe right to the position indicated by dotted lines 8. While thusmoving, flange ,8 is moved against flange 7", and thereby moves section7 in the same manner, to the position indicated by dotted lines 7. Whilesection 7 is thus moving, its flange 7 is moved against flange 6 andthereby moves shade section 6 to the position indicated by dotted lines6*. It will be seen that said shade sections, while in this describedposition, so shade light 18, that an of said light is thus shaded exceptsuch small portion as passes. between the lower edge of section 8 andthe lower portion of lamp body 2. Said operator; by controlling saidmovement of pedal 13, causes said lower edge of section 8 to stop atany. de-

sired point of its movement; thus instantly shading said light to anydesired extent. Said operator thus holds pedal 13, so long as theshading of said light is desired, after which he removeshis foot fromsaid pedal, upon which, spring 17 recovers said movement of treadle 13,which by its connected parts, reversely rotates the shade section 8.During the latter part of the return movement of section 8, its stud 8is carried against. the front edge of section- 7 and moves the lastmentioned section upward. This movement of section 7 in turn, carriesits stud 7 against the front edge of section 6, which in turn is therebymoved until its rear edge is stopped by stud 4, which thereby stops allfurther return movement of said sections, with the same in the. positionshown.

I The described operations are repeated from time to time, as occasionmay require that said light should thus be shaded, 'for preventing thetemporary blinding of other persons by the same, the scaring of horsesand the like. When such is done, it will be seen that theunshadedportion of said light shines downward and forward, at such angleto the ground (not shown,) as will provide suflicient light on saidground at all times,

to enable said operator to see the same, a short distance ahead of thedescribed shaded li ht.

While I have shown and described the shade sections 3, 6,7 and 8 and thegrooved pulley 11 operated by a cable l0 in the foregoing manner, it isevident that said shade sections could be made of a variety of forms toadapt them to use in lamp bodies of various shapes, and that the samecould be rotated by a variety of differently formed rotating means. Oneof such different forms of shade sections and rotating means is shown inFig. 3, in which the square lamp body 2 has the shade sections 3", 6",7*, and 8 mounted therein, in practically the same manner as thesections 3, 6, 7 and 8, described. Said section 8 has pull rods 10* and10 connected therewith for oscillating said section in the same manneras what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is L 1. Inan automobile lamp shade, an automobile lamp body, a lamp' in said bodyadapted to furnish a light; a plurality of shade sections in said bodysaid sections b'e-' ing extended over said lamp and downward cillatingmeans connected with said inner.

section said oscillating means being extended from said section throughthe back of said lamp body and through intervening parts of anautomobile; an automobile floor; a treadle oscillatably mounted on saidfloor said treadle beingconnected with the ex tended portion of saidoscillating means; a pedal on the upper end of said treadle for movingthe same in one direction; spring actuating means for recovering saidtreadle movement; and stopping means for said shade sections whereby theoscillations of said sections are stopped.

2. In an automobile lamp shade, a lamp body; a lamp in the center ofsaidbody; a shade section extending over and above said lamp and downward ateach side thereof; securing means whereby said section is secured inplace; a plurality of oscillatable shade sections underlapped beneathsaid section and underlapped one beneath the other; mounting means onwhich said oscillatable sections are oscillatably mounted; pedallyactuated oscillating means whereby said oscillatable sections arepedally oscillated through both of the movements of their oscillations;a downwardly projecting flange formed on the front edge of each one ofall of said sections; an upwardly extending flange formed on the rearedge of each one of said oscillatable sections said flanges be ingadapted to keep said sections spaced fromeach other and to limit forwardmovement of said oscillatable sections; and stopping means adapted tolimit backward movement of said oscillatable sections.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in the presence of. twowitnesses.

THORNTON LnMMoN, R. J. KENNARD.

